Museums Saxony-Anhalt

Museum of History of Civilisation Merseburg

Merseburg

The bishop's castle that later became a duke's residence is situated above the Saale river directly next to the cathedral on the grounds of the Ottonian Königspfalz, or king's palace. The valuable exhibits on display in the permanent exhibition at the cultural history museum in Merseburg castle vividly portray the eventful past of this historic place.

Once they have stepped down into the arched castle cellars, visitors enter an exhibition on the pre- and early history of the region, including objects found in the important Merseburg and Leuna burial sites. The history of the Merseburg palace and diocese is reflected here in the chronicle written by Thietmars von Merseburg. In order to depict the history of Merseburg during the middle ages, valuable sculptures and documents as well as objects used in everyday life are on display. From 1605 to 1608, the Wettin administrator Johann Georg I had the Merseburg castle extensively rebuilt and modernised; among the items being exhibited in this respect are an official building certificate and several parts of this significant late Renaissance German castle. In 1657 his son Christian established the Merseburg duke's reign that developed a unique splendour in the residence, the town of Merseburg and the surrounding villages in the former diocese. One of the most important exhibits is the Merseburg medal cabinet (circa 1715) that Duchess Elisabeth gave together with the medal collection as a present to her husband when he took power in 1731. When the land came under Prussian ownership from 1815, a new era began. Here Merseburg is depicted as a garrison town for the bourgeois and civil service. Likewise, the unique exhibits on display provide insights into the economic development during the so-called founder period as well as about decisive personalities in the town at that time.

The museum's exhibition on Merseburg's history and the region in the 20th century should be concluded by the beginning of 2011.